Positive Thinking – Key Element of Positive Personality

In this age of knowledge and awareness we are almost aware of everything. If we do not have direct knowledge of something, we have an access to that knowledge through internet. In fact, the younger generation uses Google Maps, Whatsapp, Facebook or E-shopping for almost everything in life.

But, in this age of knowledge we are almost ignorant of a very inherent piece of information that has always been there and has been preached to us through mythology and other religious discourses. It is the power of positive thoughts which if nurtured properly, can transform our lives towards a life of satisfaction and fulfillment.

It is an age-old saying:”We are what we think”. Watch your thoughts, they become your actions, watch your actions, they become your habits and watch your habits, because they become your character or personality. So there is a clear linkage between thoughts and personality.

If we need to become successful and happy in life, we need to have good positive thoughts. It is more relevant for the students and younger people who are on the verge of getting out of adolescence and move in to youth, where they will have to face numerous challenges of life, comprising of risks, success as well as failures.

Positive Attitude

Thoughts are our internal conversations with ourselves. There is a continuous monologue which is unconsciously taking place in the mind and sometimes continues even in our sleep. If these thoughts are primarily positive, the person is positive in his thinking and vice versa.

Positive thinking is extremely powerful. The mental chit-chat going on in your mind must be changed to change your feelings and thoughts, resulting into modifying your behaviour ultimately to see improvement in your life.

Just think about as to how you would feel saying : “I can do this. I can do that. I will pass. I will be successful etc.”

But not many of us have a positive monologue running in our heads, do we? Most of our self-talk is centred around fears and negativity; not that anyone would consciously choose to talk to themselves like this, but past conditioning has created a mind script that keeps us stuck. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

With the passage of time we develop an attitude about everything in life. If we are governed by positive thoughts our attitude will be positive and if negative thoughts are more prominent, our attitude will be negative in that situation or towards that person and consequently, our actions will also be either positive or negative.

How to Acquire Positive Attitude?

Every sane person would like to see himself as positive person. But things do not move just by wishing. Our wishes or thoughts have to be followed up with sustained actions, so that positivity becomes part of our personality. Given below are some tips that are going to be useful to you to move towards positive thinking and in turn positive attitude:-

Have positive self-talk and visualization, to reduce the stress that keeps your mind racing and disrupts sleep. In our daily routine we are so engrossed that we forget to take care of ourselves. Taking care of body and mind is not being selfish – if you can take care of yourself, you can do a much better job of taking care of others and your obligations.

Stay with positive people

It is very essential that the atmosphere around you is always positively charged. Avoid the company of negative people who can be recognised by their negative , blaming and complaining talk. They find fault in everything. Instead, surround yourself with positive people who are happy and optimistic.

Just for a moment sometimes during the day, pay attention to your thoughts and talks, to save yourself from negativity. Ask one of your close friend for his opinion about you, whether you are positive or negative. Gradually you will see the results of your positivity.

Do Self-appraisal

Self-appraisal is your evaluation by not any other person but “you”. Check your way of thinking, your mood swings and your talks. Initially it will sound a wasteful activity but slowly you will gain by doing this in terms of efficiency and contentment in daily life. You can do it once, at the end of your day.

But there is a caution here, don’t overdo your checking. Otherwise, there is a chance of feeling bad about yourself thereby taking a u-turn.

Check your perspective.

Is it possible that your way of seeing a situation is the only way of seeing it? Of course it is not. Most of us have a particular pattern of looking at the things and events around us. How can your situation be handled in a different way? Looking at things from an “I can do this” standpoint is a component of positive thinking techniques.

We should be flexible in our approach towards the things and events. Every person has his own perception of the things depending on his circumstances and experiences in life. Learning to accept this fact is an important personal growth step that will leave you feeling happier, more compassionate, more connected and more confident.

Use positive affirmations

Try and read some positive statements to yourself before sleeping. We can change our mental self talk with the help of such affirmations. “I can do what I need to do”, “I have something great in me that people like me”, “I can make it possible”, “Every problem has a solution, so my this problem will also be solved”. Such statements when repeated everyday help the mind towards self-programming.

Gradually you will start to observe that you are less affected by negativity. All those positive thoughts will influence your actions towards much more satisfactory results. Your mind will be free from negativity and feel light.

Be kind and take responsibility

As you are able to keep track of your thoughts and turn the negative into positive thoughts you will start feeling good. Occasionally, you may feel bad but don’t get yourself entangled in the vicious circle of negativity again.

Everything can be changed, even your thoughts and results. Use humour – it’s a great way to take the sting out of feeling wrong about holding a certain negative belief.

Use constructive imagination

The imagination or visualization exercises you learn will help you create mental images of the life you want to live. You can reprogram your mind to match with what you want. You have the power to imagine anything.

You can counter all the negative thoughts by positive imagination This will surprise you by helping you to find the solution to your problems in different ways not normally expected by you.

Meditate.

Though some students may consider it spiritual practice, to meditate but when we sit quietly and focus on something, all our mental faculties converge on a single point.

This introspection will give you a much better idea of how much negativity is entrenched in your mind; and you’ll develop the mastery to choose your thoughts and images, and gradually eliminate that negativity out of your life. This introspection will help you in making changes in your thoughts and subsequent actions.

Studies are essential for our careers and a student must focus on the studies. But, equally important is to focus on the personality. Education or knowledge is just one facet of personality, whereas there are many other traits of a good personality. Positive thinking or attitude holds the key to development of a good well rounded personality. Therefore, the young students who are striving hard to acquire knowledge must focus on acquiring good positive personality.

Author Bio:

Lt Col Raj Kumar Singh has served in Indian Army for about twenty six years and occupied the position of Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare, Chd. for more than eight years. He has held various high level positions at different places. He was Director of a premier institute providing training to candidates preparing for interviews and written examinations. His extra-curricular interests are: Reading, Music, Poetry, Yoga, Sports.